Last weekend, when Cleveland Cavaliers forward Nance Jr. sat down with his family to watch the first two episodes of The Last Dance , although the content was Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls, he seemed to be suddenly transported to his rookie season and the time he played with Lakers idol Kobe Bryant. As he watched the camera crew in the Chicago Bulls' locker room, capturing intimate interactions between teammates and other footage not often seen on screen, Nance began to reflect on the 2015-16 season with the Lakers.
That year was Kobe's 20th year in the Los Angeles Purple and Gold Army, and it was also the last year for the legendary star. Just as camera crews had unprecedented access to every moment of Jordan's final season with the Bulls, so did Kobe's final NBA season. The camera crew continued to expand throughout his retirement tour, with up to six private camera crews on hand to capture every moment during his 60-minute finale.
Several Lakers staff members from that season said that Bryant's camera crews had unparalleled access to the home and away locker rooms, training rooms, the entire team's training center and even on the team's chartered plane to record as they pleased.
"They have more access than ever before and, by far, greater access than ever before," John Black said. He led the Lakers' public relations department for 27 years, most recently as deputy general manager. "We certainly allow them to record as much footage as they can within the bounds of what the league allows, and sometimes turning a blind eye allows them to do more."
But after Bryant died in a helicopter crash in late January, it was unclear what would happen to the footage he collected last season.
People familiar with the matter said the footage has been in the editing stage and could lead to a documentary release in the coming years. Although the exact timing is unclear, Bryant had seen the edited material in the months before his death. Those plans are unlikely to change, sources said.
Meanwhile, it was reported that instead of letting others chronicle his final season, Bryant, who produced and starred in his 2015 documentary "Muse ," ultimately sought full control over the footage, which is why he decided it would be best to have his own crew to take on such a project, especially as Bryant was building his own NBA media empire.
Seeing the footage of Jordan's last season has made many people look forward to the documentary of Kobe's last season. So let us be patient and look forward to the release of this great documentary!
